Glad to hear him say that the hips aren't bothering him. Lots of self-proclaimed geniuses/doctors on this board claim that's why he's been struggling. He denied it straight up. Sounds like his ankle injury has been bothering him most.
He acknowledged that it was tough not to work on his game in the off-season. Sometimes that's enough to throw someone off... especially someone like Omar who's primarily a rhythm jump shooter. His shot wasn't falling and he started to over-think every part of his game when the shooting didn't come naturally.
I am definitely keeping my eyes on Omar down this stretch run. The past 2 games have been steps in the right direction for him. Other contributors on the team are have been inconsistent of late (DD, LK especially). We're still looking for a 3rd contributor (after Bazz/Boat) who can put points up nightly. DD is too inconsistent, he needs to stay another year. There's definitely an opportunity present for Omar to turn it around if he starts playing well. Sometimes, all it takes for a shooter to get going is seeing the ball go in a few times. If this happens, his confidence could skyrocket.
Not having an off-season to prepare yourself and then not being healthy (ankle/concussion) during the year can definitely be tough and frustrating. But Omar is from Brooklyn, so we know he's tough too. Others seem to have written this year off for him, not me. He saw some decent minutes against SMU with Lasan struggling and NG in foul trouble. If he's getting minutes then that means Ollie sees that he's been playing well in practice... also echoed by Bazz. The opportunity is there, he just needs to take it. I still think he is going to be able to contribute to this team THIS YEAR, probably when we need it most down the stretch in an important game. When he goes off, I'll be the first person to say I told you so to those who wrote him off.
